Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Registered as the Spa Hurdle, the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle is a fairly recent addition to the Cheltenham Festival programme, having been run for the first time in 2005. Originally framed as a Grade 2 contest and sponsored by Brit Insurance, the race was upgraded to Grade 1 status in 2008, at which point sponsorship passed to the eponymous vegetable supplier. As the name suggests, the contest is open to novice hurdlers aged four years and upwards and is run over 3 miles on the New Course at Prestbury Park. It is currently scheduled as the third race on the fourth and final day of the Festival, immediately preceding the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Master of Jackdaws Castle, Jonjo O’Neill, is the leading trainer in the short history of the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle having saddled Black Jack Ketchum (2006) and Wichita Lineman (2007) to victory.